The femtosecond laser has been in use for a decade but was FDA approved for cataract removal in 2009. The guidance was written in response to requests from ophthalmologists.
Three key points of the guidelines are as follows:
- Providers may not bill Medicare, a beneficiary, or his or her secondary insurer for additional fees to perform covered components of cataract surgery with a femtosecond laser.
- Providers may bill the patient an additional fee for using the femtosecond laser when performing a refractive lens exchange because the procedure is not covered by Medicare.
- Providers should not use the differential charge allowed for implantation of a premium intra-ocular lens to recover the costs of using the femtosecond laser for cataract surgical steps.
The guidance can be found here.
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